A Day at the Beach
by Xeen Cyr
Summary: Now that they're friends, they can do anything they want, right?
1. Chapter 1

ROOKIE BLUE

**A DAY AT THE BEACH**

Set after "The Big Nickel". So now they're friends, aren't they? _Thanks guys for all the reviews/alert/favoriting... for my previous fics. I really appreciate it :)_

-o-

She stopped in front of his door and inhaled deeply. _Nothing to be afraid of. It's going to be okay. Act casual,_ she thought to herself, trying to check her appearance from her blurry reflection on the window. She waited until her breathing was back to normal and knocked. She could hear the TV scream in the background. She bit her lip and pressed her ear to the door. "_A pair of rain delays did nothing to deter the Red Sox right-hander from dismantling Toronto's lineup, leading to a 5-0 loss at Fenway Park…_" she heard the anchor said in a very formal voice. The Blue Jays were on a losing streak. It was going to be tough to convince him. He'll be in a bad mood and... She knocked again figuring that he was probably in the yard at the back of the house, grilling some steaks for his buddies. She was already walking away when Swarek swung the door open with a beer in his hand.

"McNally…" he trailed. He furrowed his brow and his gaze grazed her low cut tank top and denim shorts. "Judging by your outfit, I take it that you're aware this is Sunday afternoon?"

She flushed and tried to put on a brave front. "I…" she sucked on her breath, "aren't you going to ask me in?"

"Come on in McNally. Mi casa es su casa."

She brushed past him and went directly to the living room. The shades were drawn, the TV was way too loud. Her eyes fanned the room. Half a turkey sandwich on a plate, an icebox filled with unopened beers. He was alone. She spun around. He was staring now, a mere foot away from her with a smirk on his face. "What's going on McNally? I thought we were good? Where's Callaghan, you didn't drag him along hopefully? I like the guy but I'm not really into threesomes."

She shook her head frantically, ignoring the sarcastic provocation. "He's working on a case," she made a good show at staring at her feet.

He raised an interrogative eyebrow and his mouth twitched. "_Don't screw it up"_. When was it that he had told Mr Homicide just that? Not even a week ago? And still he was already back to his normal MO. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of your present company? I'm kind of in the middle of something here," he waved his beer toward the TV set, trying as hard as he could to keep a straight face. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights. He sighed. It was time to put her out of her misery. "Joking McNally, hit me. What do you need me for? I'm all yours," he said, not quite ready to stop toying with her. Since their little trip to Sudbury, he couldn't stop remembering bits and pieces of her smiles and fits of laughter and… _Don't._ He dropped on the couch.

"I bought a car," she mumbled.

"Good for you!" he raised his beer. " What has it got to do with me?"

"Well, you remember what you told me when we were in the woods?"

"I said a lot of things in the woods McNally, could you narrow it down for me please?" he sighed loudly.

"You said that you are a city boy…"

He nodded seriously. He could see a pattern here. And definitely what she was tiptoeing around.

"Yes I am!" he rejoiced, determined to make her beg. It was going to be a far more interesting Sunday afternoon than he had originally anticipated. He could practically hear her moan in despair.

"You're not going to make this easy, Sam, are you?" she finally said, looking at him through her long silky fringe.

He shook his head, putting on his 5000 dollar grin. "McNally, you're blocking my view, so I suggest that you take a step to your left so that I can watch the game until you pull yourself together."

"But it's not even live!" she protested.

"You're missing the point. My TV, my rules."

"Sam, please…"

He pressed the remote and they got engulfed in a deafening silence. He put his feet on the coffee table and sat his beer on his chest.

She jumped and started pacing. "I bought a car."

"I don't hear a question. Could you be a bit more specific? I'm a cop but I do need more information to make an educated judgment, McNally. You said that already, remember?"

"It's not new," she nodded ignoring his interruption.

"I figure that much, the desperation on your face was a conclusive hint the first time."

"I thought it's be a great day to go to Lake Scugog and have a picnic."

"Alone?"

Her face changed and from pleading went to angry. She opened her mouth, swallowed her breath, hung her head and paused. Sam was really enjoying himself now. Her car probably broke down after a few miles and she needed his help. So far, so good.

"Not everything is about Luke, you know, he's doing the best he can," she said in a subdued voice.

"I bet he is." Discussing her love life was not his agenda. "You bought a car?" he said tentatively.

But she was not listening. "I'm not exactly in control of the situation here you know. He works a lot. So I said to myself that I did enjoy going to the country with you last week and that I could use some time out of Toronto. Just to get my feet on something else that asphalt and…"

"… I get it, I get it. Keep going. Port Perry is quite nice this time of year."

She smiled. "So I took off around ten, it's only an hour and a half away, plenty of time. It… well I mean, it's probably nothing but after I stopped at a red light, I could not turn it back on. It stopped and that was it. I tried everything."

"Like what?"

She went beet red. "I found the thingy that opens the hood…"

"I see," he chuckled. "Okay, McNally, I'll help you with your car. Where did you leave it?"

"Princes Gates..." she made a face.

"Princes Gates? It's not even a mile away from your place."

"I know!" she squealed. "And then I thought. You told me that you could fix a car blindfolded with your hands cuffed in your back?"

"Did you bring the cuffs McNally?"

She giggled. "You should definitely buy a new book of jokes," she teased him.

He clapped in his hands and stood up. "Okay, let get this party going. But first thing first. If you want to ride in my truck, you better…" He sat his beer on the table and walked up to her, "… wipe all this sludge from your face." He swept her cheek with his thumb, getting closer than necessary. He could feel she was as troubled as he was from this simple touch. But, today, he'll behave, for both their sake. Her body shivered and he turned abruptly away. "Let me go get my gear, I'll try to start jump it and we'll go from there."

-o-

He killed the ignition and glared at her, disbelief written all over his face. "A 1968 Chevrolet Camaro convertible SS 396? You're kidding right? Like I said, I'm a city boy, not a magician."

"Told you it was cheap."

"You're right on the money, total piece of junk. Did the guy pay you to toll it away from his back lot?"

"Please, I know."

"You should have come to me Andy, that's what friends are for. Let me get a look at it but don't get your hopes up. On the other hand, we can always go back and see the guy and play bad cop good cop. What do you think?"

"I'd rather not."

"Okay." He took a bunch of cables from his trunk, made her open the hood and hooked the cars together, fastening the alligator clips to the positive posts. "Give it a try. Gently." After a few attempts, he shook his head. "It's not the battery, it could be anything then. Let me have a closer look."

She watched him check the car. He was actually enjoying this. She couldn't help to find it a bit arousing. She shaded her eyes from the sun with her right hand, and leaned over the engine.

"So, is it bad?"

"Well, my guess is we'll have to rebuild the whole engine from scratch."

"Really? I can't afford that."

"I can call in a few favours from… friends."

"Oh, I see. Shady friends?"

"Well, don't ask, don't tell," he chuckled. "The first guy that comes to mind is actually into brunettes. Maybe you could manage to get a fresh coat of paint, free of charge."

She glanced at him. She was not actually sure whether he was teasing her or being serious.

"What do you say? Should I give him a call?"

"But it's Sunday."

"That didn't bother you so far…"

She winced and stood up. "Sure, go ahead, why not?" she snapped.

Puzzled, he rang his 'guy'. "He'll see me tonight," he stated cautiously after hanging up. "Do you need a ride Andy?" he volunteered. "I can drop you at Port Perry."

"You would?" she yelped. "Oh yes, please I'd like that."

"But you're going to feed me right?"

She giggled and punched him gently in the arm. "I think it could be arranged."

"But first let me do something." He fumbled into his glove compartment. "We wouldn't want your antique to be impounded," he said, sticking a Metro Police sign on the windshield.

"You're a man of many talents," she smiled.

"You have no idea," he stated seriously, happy to see her look away and blush profusely.

She opened the trunk. "Let me get it for you," he said, brushing her arm while taking out a wicker basket. "Hop in, before I change my mind." Like he would.

"You're right. It's beautiful," he stated after a few minute drive. "The colours, the leaves…"

"You're not making fun of me, are you?"

"No, I wouldn't dare. Just saying," he smiled.

The area was pretty crowded but she knew a place where they would have some privacy, away from families and their children enjoying the last days of Indian summer. Though she spent the afternoon in a state of undress that almost turned him crazy, her bathing suit leaving not much to imagination, he did his best to hold on to his buddy façade. He made some phone calls, one to his bookie, another to his car guy, and a last one to Ollie to cancel their late afternoon barbeque with his wife Zoe and the girls. He had to cook some lame excuse, and he was three hundred percent certain that Shaw didn't buy any of it. Ollie had given him the stare treatment a lot lately. He knew that he wasn't fooled by his act, nor was Noelle. Graduation day was coming up early this year and given that Callaghan would keep on the good job, she'll be free to fall into his willing arms by then, -or not. But for the time being, he had to stop wearing his heart on his sleeve like an old fool smitten by his rookie.

It'd been an afternoon well spent. After she had stopped exerting herself in her attempts to break the next world record, she came back to him, radiant, her eyes sparkling and dried herself in a huge towel, leaving him near to the point of breakdown. He managed to keep his composure and even threw some small talk in the mix. When she took a bottle of sun lotion out of her gym bag, his heart stopped. There was no way he could help her with that. But she didn't ask him to do anything. Befuddled, he watched her massage her body with the lotion before lying peacefully on her towel.

"You're driving us back, right?"

"Yeah, yeah, sure_." How articulate, Sam, good job_.

"Okay, in that case, I'll get some sun while it lasts."

And with that, she fell asleep, -which was good, considering his confusion. When the sun set, he gently nudged her awake. She stretched like a cat, and he averted his gaze, but it was already too late to prevent his pulse from racing madly.

On their way back, her cell rang. She gave a quick glance to the caller ID. "I gotta to take this, sorry," she said in a weird monotone. Of course Callaghan had to ruin the day for him. He didn't comment on the call and waited patiently. But she stayed silent, her eyes on the road.

"I'll leave you at Garrison Park," he finally said. "And I'll take care of your car. Don't worry, it won't cost you a dime. Feel free to buy me dinner though."

She glanced in his direction, her mouth twitched but she went back to staring through the windshield anyway. "Thanks," she nodded.

"Andy, you okay?"

"Luke wants to see me tonight," she said.

"And I take it, you don't want to?" he tried.

"Sam, what should I do?"

The man hunt crisis had snapped him out of the rage he had allowed to simmer under his skin far too long until he erupted on retraining day and flipped out. Now that he had somehow managed not to freak out at the mere mention of her name and tamed his slow burn, he had come to realize he just wanted her to be happy. But he was not quite ready to turn into a confidante. "Hey, I'm not dear Abby!" he protested.

"Please, you got to help me…" She placed a hand on his arm and locked her eyes on his. Hers were on the verge of glassy.

"Okay." He paused. "You don't want to see him?"

"That's the point. I don't know."

"Unless I didn't get the memo, I thought that you guys were back on tracks since our little trip to nowhere land."

"Yes, we are," she admitted reluctantly, "sort of."

"McNally, let me spell it out for you. Luke's a guy, if he calls you it means what it means. As far as he's concerned, the two of you are good."

"But it doesn't feel good. I don't even know why he's talking to me again. He was really mad at me after the…"

"… thing."

"Yes," she sighed. "I tried to talk to him before parade, but he threw me out."

"But he came back to his senses and took you back eventually?"

"Yes, he did. But I don't know why!" she said, in an unusual high-pitched voice.

"McNally, don't…"

"… overthink it," she nodded. "I know." She let go of his arm and her gaze went back to the road ahead.

They stayed silent until they reached the outskirts of town.

"If you need to talk, I'm here," he said. "You know that right? I'm not very good in the talk department but I'm a fairly good listener."

She simply smiled. When he pulled over and stopped the engine, he turned to her and casually put his arm on the back of her seat.

"I had a nice time today Sam. I'm glad we're friends," she said, and she meant it. But she didn't seem to get out of the car any time soon.

"Give me your car keys. I'll go see my guy right away. You know what? Give me a call and I'll take the basket back to your place."

She chuckled.

"Awkward again?"

"A little," she said, giggling. "Bye Sam, and thanks for the ride." She gave him a light peck on the cheek and she was gone.

-o-

_I hope you like it!_


	2. Chapter 2

ROOKIE BLUE

**A DAY AT THE BEACH**

Set after "The Big Nickel". _Thanks guys for the reviews and alerts and favoriting and everything. Hope you like this part._

-o-

**PART 2**

Sam Swarek opened his front door and grinned. "McNally, you got to get your act together. It's not even been two hours since I left you and you're on my doorstep already."

"I'm not in the mood Swarek," she pushed him aside and dashed to the living room.

"You cannot just keep on showing up like this. People will talk." He took a step outside and gave a quick peek in the street. "You alone?"

She spun around. "Don't start," she said a bit too loud, "and no, Luke didn't tag along."

"Okay, okay," he smiled, closing the front door, "I can live with that. But I got to tell you, your car isn't ready yet, if that's what you're after. You should have called me and saved you the trip." He stared at her blankly. "On the other hand, if you plan to be at my place on a regular basis, we might even consider carpooling. What do you say, bad idea?"

"Shut up Sam, it's not…" she winced, shook her head and took a deep breath, "what did you say?"

"What do you mean? Is there trouble in paradise again?" he teased her.

"Don't… don't you play games with me Sam. Did you tell Luke anything?"

He sighed and hung his head. "You know what?" He held her gaze and put a flat hand on his chest, "I'm offended. Why would I even talk to Callaghan? It's quite a reach, even for you."

"Even for me?" She took a step closer and poked at his chest, "what is it even supposed to mean? Not everything is about Luke! You know what, forget it, I give up."

"It's a shame, in any other circumstances, I would have appreciated the irony, but you lost me."

"Swarek. Stop being so dense."

"Oh, oh, that hurts!"

"You know exactly why I came here for."

"Do I? You know what, this conversation is exhausting as it is. I'm going to need something a bit stronger than beer. Can I get you anything?"

"Yes the truth would be great, for starters. What is it that you're trying to accomplish?"

"Please, sit down McNally, take a deep breath. I'm actually curious to see how you're going to pull this one off."

"You're really something Sam! I mean, I thought that we were on the same page and I had a great time last weekend. But it's not working, I can't… I can't do this, it's…" she stuttered and dropped on a stool at the kitchen counter.

"You know what? You're right, this is not working for me either."

"I…"

"Shut up," he ordered her before putting her back on her feet abruptly and tugging her along to the front door.

"Hey, what are you doing? You can't… you can't just throw me out!" she yelped, dragging her feet on the floor. That didn't slow him down.

"Watch me." He opened the door, pushed her outside and slammed the door. She tripped on the sidewalk. Before she had time to understand what was going on, Sam opened the door.

"Hey, McNally! How ya doing? You looking great tonight. Come on in. Can I get you an umbrella, a brandy, a golden fish?"

She beamed. "Okay, I see your point. I'm sorry I'm behaving like a lunatic."

"You're welcome. Now that we got this out of the way, care to tell me what's going on?"

She looked down and shuffled her foot on the floor.

"Okay. This is a major breakthrough."

She looked up, puzzled.

"You of all people can't talk? It must be big," he lifted one eyebrow at her.

"Right. Well you know, I couldn't exactly broadcast this on the 6 o'clock news. When Luke bailed out on me after my shift…"

Sam concealed a smirk. Yes, everything was definitely working according to the plan.

"… I went to the Penny. I was kind of hoping you'd be there."

"Are you trying to hurt my feelings here McNally?"

"Sorry," she said again, "it didn't come out right."

"I guess you wanted to talk?"

"Yep. I did."

"Okay. Make yourself comfortable, I'll fix us a drink, I have the feeling we're going to need it."

"Make it a double," she sighed.

"Oh, that bad?"

She laid sprawled on the couch and held on fiercely to a pillow. "That bad."

"What don't you start from the top then."

She watched him dig a bottle out of the closet, pour some scotch, and throw a handful of ice cubes in their drinks. He handed her her glass and settled down at the end of the couch placing her feet on his lap. "Hit me, Andy, I'm all ears."

"Who knows?"

"Who knows?" Now was his turn to look puzzled.

"I have that feeling that everyone knows what's happened the night of the blackout about you know, the _thing_?"

"Oh, the _thing_ again… Andy, I thought that we already established that you and I were friends, it's getting old. I was under the impression that we agreed on letting the past be the past."

"We did, but that doesn't mean that we have to sweep the whole thing under the rug," she protested. "I can spot people's stares, and I'm not being paranoid here."

"Hey, if we're going to rehash it every other day, I have every right to protest."

"Indulge me," she said. "Please?" She took a sip of her drink and choked.

How could he resist that? "Well my guess is…" He shook his head. "You could have kept Callaghan out of the loop."

She let go of the pillow and shrugged. "It's not like I had a choice."

"Did he grill you about me?"

She shook her head. "Huh… It's not like that. It's complicated."

"Try me."

She glanced over the rim of her glass. "Traci was at my place and we had too much to drink already. And then it sort of popped up. The _thing_."

"Okay, girls night, you're wasted and you told her you jumped me."

"Yep."

"And… ?"

"And she told me not to say a word to Luke because I already went to his place in Simcoe and everything. To keep it quiet."

"Yeah, the fishing cabin…" he trailed.

"You know Sam you're unfair. I didn't want to go to Simcoe." She looked down. "I was planning to tell him just that. But you gave me the cold shoulder that morning when I came back for my first shift after the… the other thing." The ice cubes dangled in her glass and she took a large gulp. "Anyway. He told me that you said that I was all his as far as you were concerned."

"Right." _Shit, he never should have tossed her coffee_.

"And after that, you made a show at beating the crap out of him and I was so mad at you."

"Okay, okay, I get it. I screwed up big time. But you know Andy, I never made a mystery of the fact that I was attracted to you."

"I know. That's not the point. Traci told me to put you on ice."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, you know, you write down the name of the guy, you soak the note inside a jar and put it in the freezer."

"Is it high school again?"

"And Luke found you."

"In the freezer…" He chuckled. "I see." His thumb was tracing a complicated pattern on her foot. "So apart from Callaghan, you and me, that would be it."

"And Traci," she reminded him.

"Of course, Traci. What about the other rookies? I'm not too comfortable with…"

"It's only Traci."

"Okay. So you think that Jerry knows?"

"No, no, she wouldn't tell him anything. No even before."

"Before? I'm really not getting all my memos."

"They had a bad day when we were in Sudbury. Jerry sort of lost his case notes and he took it out on her. My understanding is that he's not the nice guy she thought he was but just another prick in the pack."

"You know that Jerry's my friend right? I've known him since the Academy."

"Doesn't change a thing. He's still stuck in a bad divorce and Traci's more concerned about Leo than about her relationship with someone who's looking to replace his wife because she can look after his shit and do his laundry."

"Ouch. Okay. Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No, no. I'm just saying. She's pretty heart broken."

"I'm sorry," he stroked her ankle absently.

A comfortable silence settled in and they lost track of time, engulfed in their thoughts.

"I think that McLoughlin knows," she finally said.

"McLoughlin? You been working with him? When?"

"The day Best was giving you a hard time about the roster."

"Yeah, yeah, right. I thought you were with Andrews."

"Nope, that was last Wednesday. Same thing though."

"How would they know?"

"Well, like you said, retraining day."

He glared and cocked his head. "Did he act funny, did he say anything?"

"No, it was more like the silent treatment. Not the she's-got-something-in-her-teeth treatment, more like the she's-doing-Callaghan-and-Swarek-I-should-give-it-a-try treatment. It was different with McLoughlin. He was more judgmental. He didn't say anything but he gave me a hard time, yelling and lecturing."

"Yeah, contempt. He does that a lot."

"And I'm pretty sure that Shaw suspects something."

"Yeah, yeah, he does. He's been toying with the subject a bunch of times, about the rules and why I shouldn't, you know…"

"Like sleep with your rookie?"

"Well, we didn't sleep together," he stated with a straight face.

She looked down. "Nope, but that's a technicality," she took another gulp of her drink. _Worst mistake of my life_, she thought to herself.

"I'm a guy. I can assure you that it's not!"

"Whatever."

"Noelle knows," he said.

"You told her?" She furrowed her brows, and looked worried. Traci was very fond of Noelle but she never had the opportunity to work with her and she found her intimidating.

"No. But when we were assigned to that prisoner transport, I…" he cleared his throat, "I asked her if she would cover for me. She blew me off, -told me to work it out."

She giggled. "Traci told me I should ask Best to re-assign me that I couldn't go on _holi-date_ with you after… the _thing_."

"Holi-date. That's cute. Andy, I'm glad we did. This friend thing is really growing on me. Want a refill?"

She nodded. "So what do you think? Is it bad?"

"Well, it's happened before at the 15," he commented on his way to the kitchen. "They sorted it out. He transferred. But it's not like we're doing anything wrong," he said from the kitchen. "Being friends is not against the rules. Here you go." He handed her the glass and resumed his previous position at the end of the couch, and put her feet back on his lap and, "Piece of advice though. The more obvious you'll be with Callaghan, the better."

She chewed on her lip. "That's the problem. We're never together, he's always working on a case."

"Hey what can I say, you should have picked me!"

She kicked him. "Hey, not funny."

"So we're good?"

"Yeah, we're good," she toasted in his direction.

He patted her feet. "Are you a fan of the Blue Jays?" he asked. "I never had a chance to watch the end of the game since last Sunday and I was about to…."

"… when I barged in. Right. My bad. Sure you don't want me to go?"

"I think I can live with it."

She giggled and hugged the pillow. He turned the TV on with a happy grin. It was only when the game was over that he found out that had fallen asleep on his couch. _So much for been discreet,_ he thought. He decided against waking her up, threw a cover on her legs and killed the lights.


	3. Chapter 3

ROOKIE BLUE

_**A DAY AT THE BEACH**_

Set after "The Big Nickel".

PART 3

-o-

When he woke up, she was gone. He found a note on his bedside table, she had signed it with a girlie flourish that made him chuckle. He took a shower, rushed to the coffee shop near the station and dashed directly to the parade room. He was running late.

She was already seated at her usual place on the front row. He carefully sat a large moccacino right in front of her. "Hey McNally, sleep well? We've a big day today. I thought you'd need the caffeine…" he said in a gentle voice. She looked up, startled and Traci shot her an interrogating glance. She shrugged and went red, hiding behind her fringe. "Thanks" she mumbled but he was already two rows behind her, settling in beside Nash who was staring blankly at him. _The stare_, she thought_, he's so onto us. Sam should be more careful. He's going to get us busted over nothing_.

Parade went in a blur. All she heard was she was going to roll with Swarek, big surprise! She jumped to her feet as soon as Best was finished and swept swiftly the cup from the desk. She had to find Swarek but he was nowhere in sight. When Traci tapped on her shoulder that made her jump again and she could not help yelping.

"Somebody's edgy today," her friend said in a subdued voice. "Care to tell me what's going on with your training officer?"

"Nothing!" she begged. "Please, I don't have time for girl's talk this morning Trace. I had very little sleep and I must find Sam."

"Sam? Mmm, you know that you sound kind of desperate," she said, "and I don't really like it."

"Look Trace, it's not what you think, there's noth…"

"McNally, care to join me?" said a mocking voice in their back. She turned around but Sam Swarek was already ten feet ahead. She kept on swirling and, "Sorry Trace, later," she said with an apologetic smile. "I'll tell you everything!" she mouthed before dashing in his wake.

They started cruising immediately. Sam was in a hurry to get her away from the station and half a mile away, he parked on the deserted lot of an exotic dance club. "You okay, McNally?" he said. He did not let her answer the question. He merely kept on talking, with his eyes locked on the wall in front of him. She read the sign and winced. Bad neighbourhood. Trouble, she though, her mind racing. What was going on? They were friends huh? "I got your note. Why didn't you wake me up? I would have given you a ride to the station."

"I needed to get my stuff."

"I understand completely. I could have given you a ride to your place McNally, no big deal," he grinned.

"I like the walk. It… it helps me be alert… for parade, I mean."

"Okay, okay," his grin got even bigger. "So, big day today."

She nodded frantically. He chuckled. "You didn't hear a word of what Best had to say this morning , did you?"

She shook her head, holding on to her cup. "No sir, I didn't. Sorry, I was… distracted."

"Okay, I'm going to bring you up to speed. It's a perfect day for just cruising and with any luck, apart from speeding tickets, a light lunch at the diner of your choosing and a bit of paperwork, we'll be good. No ice cream truck today, no heist, no car chase, no B&E, just a simple quiet sunny fall day in Toronto and the two of us perfecting our tan. Is that clear?"

All she could do was staring. She realised at some point that she was merely gaping and shrugged. "Sir, yes sir."

"I can see that you're very professional today McNally, so I'll start with the good news. I got a call from my guy this morning and your car is as good as new. So we'll pick it up later on this afternoon. In the meantime, I'm all yours. What do you say?"

She looked away, dumfounded. What was she supposed to say?

"Nothing," he cheered. "You just made my day even more perfect than it already is. Keep up the good job, McNally," he smirked, starting the car. He looked in the mirror and pulled away in traffic.

Sam Swarek was not the talkative type and after his little stunt, it took her some time to pull herself together. Their day was going as smoothly as planned and she finally managed to relax. Sam was right, it was a glorious day, a perfect Indian summer day.

"We could get a coffee," she said.

"Oh, oh look at you, you're talking again. If I'd known that sleeping over had such an effect over your speech skills, I would have tried it from day one. Coffee it is!"

She had the feeling of discovering a need side of Swarek, like a light version of his moody, brooding self. He was in an intense mood though and quite energetic. It was sort of wearing her out. She was troubled and charmed, and anxious. She didn't know how to react and more importantly, she didn't know what to say.

"So all it takes is me sleeping on your couch?" she blurted out. Ouch, that was a bad idea.

"You're getting the wrong idea McNally. I'm new to this being friend with a woman thing you know. Usually, all it gets is having her sleeping in my bed."

She went beet red and her hands clenched on her cup.

"But it's fine," he continued. "I'm okay with being friend, as long as you don't plan on keeping up with the paralysed high school girl act. I'm not going to bite Andy. I'm just in a good mood!" he said, patting her on this hand. "It's fine, don't worry."

"It is?" she glanced at him.

"Absolutely!"

"Okay," she nodded.

"McNally, I had time to think over this all thing that we have going on. And I think it's great, really. So I was thinking. You're gonna get your car back today. Follow my drift here. What do you say, we get this baby somewhere into the wild, the beach, the country, the mountains, I don't care, your call."

"You mean this week end?"

"Actually I mean tonight! We'll have two full days ahead of us. Look, as I recall you agreed to buy me diner if I got your car fixed. And I did, so now it's your turn to meet your end of the deal. So why only diner? We could pack up some mileage into your antique transport and see if my guy is as good as he says he is. So what do you think?"

"You and me?"

"Of course you and me, we're friends, that's what friends do."

"We're talking camping here?"

"Camping? You're joking right? I mean motel, cabin, hotel. You can pick whatever you want. I'm buying. As long as you buy me one meal," he said, raising one finger.

"One meal?"

"Yeah."

"Okay."

"Okay? Great. Let's make some calls McNally."


	4. Chapter 4

ROOKIE BLUE

**_A DAY AT THE BEACH_**

Set after "Serve or Protect". Thank you guys for your reviews and everything. You're the best!

-o-

PART 4

His _guy_ was in his late fifties, not the sleeze bag she had pictured when Sam had told her that he could have her car fixed. He was quite a nice man actually. He had done a terrific job on the Camaro and she could not believe that she was now the proud owner of such a fantastic car. She left them talking in his packed office at the back of the body shop and sat before the wheel. He had taken care not only of the engine repairs but refurbished the dashboard, replacing the dash holders and lenses, hidden the worn out interior pieces of upholstery, and laid out new carpets.

The car was now a deep shade of burgundy, with the original two stripes in black on the hood. She touched the finish with a light hand, marvelling in the incredible transformation.

"Like her?" She jumped. She had not even heard Swarek coming back. "You, speechless? That's a first! If I had known that all it takes was a little coat of paint and the right connections..." She went red and he chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you do... like her." He waggled the keys at her eyes level. "I'll drive her back to the barn. You take the cruiser."

"Why can't we leave it at my place?"

"Your call. I gather that you don't mind me driving you home after shift then?"

"Right," she nodded. Last thing she needed was the whole squad watching them ride along in his truck on a Friday night, no less.

"I'll take her on a little test drive just to make sure we don't end stranded 200 miles away from civilization. I'll be right behind you."

And here she was now, catching up on paperwork for Sam and Shaw, hoping that Noelle and Traci won't be back early. She glanced at the two seasoned officers who were currently exchanging poor jokes with Jerry. Since Traci and the detective had been on a break, Sam had given him a hard time and Barber looked flushed and angry. She checked the last box on her screen, saved the form and sighed. What got into her? She had to tell Trace, she was her best friend. There was no way she could hide this little trip from her. She probably should keep Luke in the dark though. But how? He was a detective. He would read her like an open book the moment she will start to lie. On the other hand, she had had to lie from the beginning. Even if she kept telling herself that it was to earn his trust, she lied again and again. She realized that she finally understood what Sam's witticism really meant. It was not lying, it was not telling the truth...

Two days with Sam in her convertible. She was so stupid. At the same time, she could not wait to be on the road. Two days meant two nights. Sam had not disclosed their accommodation arrangements yet. "Everything's been taken care of. That's a surprise." Her thoughts drifted to the content of her drawers and closet and she began to pick out what she'd need for the next couple of days.

"Hey dreamy head," a soft voice whispered in her ear. "I missed you today. You left early."

She could feel his breath on her face. She swivelled on her chair, facing Luke Callaghan. "I couldn't sleep. I figured I'll get out of your hair and go back to my place." That was the truth. She did not seem to be able to sleep with Luke in her bed lately.

He leaned forward and put his hands on the arms of the chair. "You know that you can always wake me up…" he smiled.

"Luke, not here, please. Everybody's watching."

He looked up, his eyes meeting Sam's. "I don't mind being seen with you."

She smiled sheepishly, and red crept on her face. Sam was probably staring at them. "Not in the bullpen."

"Okay, okay. Look, I'm sorry but I can't see you tonight. But I'll make it up to you. Promise."

Her heart skipped a beat. "Oh… You… you're working a new case?"

"Well actually I'm not. But I promised a friend I'll help him with moving out. We're going to Sherbrooke this weekend. I'm sorry Andy. I know I could have told you way before but it sort of skipped my mind with the Berger case and it was not supposed to be until the end of the month."

Anaesthetized by relief, she managed to look disappointed. "Want me to tag along?"

"Really Andy? Last time I checked, you hadn't even unpacked your own stuff yet."

"I said that I can help with hauling things, not with the decorating part."

"Thanks but there are the three of us actually. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"And when is that?" She pouted her mouth.

"We plan to pack everything on the van tonight, and with any luck, if we're finished, we'll have an early start tomorrow."

"Oh… so I'll see you Sunday, right?"

"Andy, I'm sorry. I plan to visit an old friend in Montreal. No even sure I'll be back Sunday night. I'll give you a call, okay?"

"You leaving now?"

"I'm afraid so." He kissed her forehead and stood up. "See you Monday? I'm going to miss you."

"Miss you already."

She watched him stride away. What was that? Was it a sign that she should be with Sam instead of Luke? She swivelled back to the desk. She was being unfair to both of them. She will have the _talk_ with Luke when he gets back. She should not have led him on for so long. If Sam was right, it will not be difficult for Luke to find a replacement. In the meantime, she will have to deal with Sam Swarek for a whole weekend.

She was going out of the locker room when Traci blocked her. "No way. You're not going anywhere before you've told me everything!"

"Trace, I'm running late but I promise I'll tell you everything," she begged.

"Okay. I'll see you at the Penny then."

"Oh… What about Leo?"

"Dex took him. It was a last minute thing. Said he wanted to show him that new theme park, whatever. Sooo… I'm free as a bird! You'll have the whole week end to fill me in with all the details of your sordid sex life."

Andy looked down and leaned on the door. "Trace, I'm sorry, but I have plans… I thought that you'd be with…"

"Plans? Luke is taking you back to the cabin? So you're good. That's fantastic!"

"Could you please keep your voice down," said Andy. She dragged her inside the locker room and closed the door after glancing in the hallway. She put her back to the door and dropped her bag at her feet. "Trace, this is bad. I'm such an idiot!"

"Luke dumped you again?"

"I kinda slept at Sam's yesterday…"

"Slept like in I…"

Andy nodded frantically. "… but nothing happened!"

"But you totally would have slept with him, right? Andy!"

"I fell asleep on his couch watching the game."

"At Sam's? Why where you at his place to begin with? I told you it was a bad idea Andy, can't you listen to me for this one time? He's your TO for god's sake!"

"Well, technically, you told me to pretend that nothing happened between us," Andy said matter-of-factly. "And that's exactly what I'm doing right now. Nobody would question two partners spending time together if I were a guy, right?"

"Last time I checked, you weren't," Traci mumbled. She undressed and Andy followed her to the showers. "So are you going to tell me why you were at his place?"

"You remember that I bought a car?"

Traci giggled. "Yep. I can't believe you did but, yeah, told me. I even saw the thing, remember?"

"Well. Last week end, Luke bailed out on me again because of one stupid case and I said to myself it was a beautiful day and that I should use the car for the first time and go away for a picnic to Lake Scugog," she said, with a high pitch in her voice. "I sort of planned to take Luke in the first place, it was supposed to be a surprise, well, didn't happened."

Traci turned the shower off and stepped out. Andy handed her a towel. "I'm listening."

"The darn car broke down near Princes Gates. I was so pissed that I called Sam."

"Of course you did," Traci muttered.

"Say again?"

"That's what you do. When something goes wrong you turn to Sam. Not Luke. Not me."

Andy opened her mouth but Traci waved her hand at her. "I'm okay, I don't blame you. I can barely keep up with the job, with Leo and school, and Dex idiosyncrasies, and Mr The-ink-on-my-divorce-isn't-dry-yet. I understand. So what did he do? He jump started the car?"

"Yes he did."

"And?"

"It didn't work." Andy shuffled her foot on the floor.

"Nooo… You spent your week end at Swarek's? Is it what you're trying to tell me?"

"No, no, I didn't." She paused. "He took me to Lake Scugog and we… we had fun, Trace! That was… I mean, that was totally perfect!"

"Did you tell Luke?"

Andy bit her lip.

"No, of course you didn't," Traci sighed. She put on her jeans and sweater.

"I've been conflicted," Andy finally said softly.

"Is it what it's called? Conflicted? Andy, I can't believe that I'm actually telling you this, but you've got to break up with Mr Perfect. You can't keep cheating on him like that."

"But I don't!"

"Really? Look me in the eyes and say it. Say it Andy."

Andy looked down and sighed.

"See!" Traci's voice was triumphant. "Now, I'm taking you to the Penny and we're gonna get wasted, sister."

"I… I can't. I sort of promised Sam that…"

"Promised Sam?"

"He knows a guy. And this guy he knows, he fixed my car." She swallowed her breath. "We're going to the country this week end."

"You and Sam Swarek, your training officer, the one person who's completely off limit, you're leaving town for the week end together? Andy!" she sounded desperate.

"But we're friends!"

"Andy, you're a big fat liar. You can't be friend with Sam Swarek and you know that as well I do, not right now not ever. It's painful to watch this little dance you two are having since day one. No, don't you try to stop me. You know what? I suspect that you slept with Luke because Swarek was too close for comfort."

"I'm not attracted to Sam. He's my friend. I made a big mistake that… night. But we got through this mess. He's my friend."

"Really? So why were you at Swarek's yesterday night?"

"I wanted to make sure that no one knew!"

"Knew what? Andy, you're not making any sense. I need a drink, are you coming or not?"

"I can't. I have to pick him up at his place. And if I have to drive, I don't want to drink."

"Okay. But at least, you've got to show me the car."

She chuckled. "Of course."

There was a crowd on the parking lot in front of the station. Traci looked puzzled and Andy went beet red. "Andy, is it your car?"

"Mmm, yeah, I guess."

"Coming through, coming through," Traci yelled. "Andy, really?"

Dov Epstein turned to her. "I never thought of you as a car geek" he beamed. "Rock'n roll McNally."

Chris nodded in appreciation. "That's a great car, Andy. My father used to have one of these."

"You're kidding right? A 1968 Chevrolet Camaro convertible SS 396? I don't think so," said Epstein. He let his hand slide against the hood with awe in his eyes.

"Man, it's just a car!" said Traci.

"It's a thing of beauty Nash. You got to respect the car!"

Traci shrugged. "Men and their toys…"

"6.5 L V8 engine. Far better than the 1976 model," he insisted, his eyes locked on the car.

"The 1976 model?"

"Bumblebee? Transformers? Man, you got to go out more Nash!"

Andy chuckled. "Well, I have to get going, so if you don't mind."

"McNally… got new wheels?" Swarek said in her back. "Sweet ride. Have a good week end rookies!" Andy watched him walk away to his truck and shot a desperate glance at Traci.

"Not my problem," she mouthed back.


	5. Chapter 5

ROOKIE BLUE [isn't mine]

**_A DAY AT THE BEACH_**

Set after "Serve or Protect". Just a quick ficlet. More to come. Thanks for the great support! You guys totally rock ^_^

-o-

PART 5

Obviously, she got stuck in traffic going back to her place. That reminded her what was great about not having a car. You never get stuck in traffic. It was probably the first time in her life that she had packed a travel bag so fast. Not that she was a hurry to be on the road with Sam Swarek. No. She wanted to get this over with. _You're in such denial_, she thought. _It's still time to call it off_. It was a mistake, Traci was right. But she could not do it. It seemed more urgent at the time to secure her pink bikini, her training pants and a pair of runners. She threw in some sports underwear, and just to be on the safe side, the evening micro-dress she bought on sales when she was in New York with Traci, -and her sling back pumps. She was all set. She ran to her car. When she pulled over in front of Sam's apartment building, he was closing the door, bags in hand. He shot her a dimpled grin and she waved from the car. She watched him open the trunk and shove his stuff inside in the rear mirror. Then he went directly to her door and swung it open. "Move over," he said. His voice was gentle and carefree, "I'm driving."

"It's my car!"

"Told you, it's a surprise. You wouldn't want to spoil my surprise, huh?"

She chuckled and scooted over to the passenger's seat.

"Buckle up. It's only a 90 minutes drive if we're lucky."

"You won't tell me, even if I beg?" she teased him.

"Nope. You can do whatever you want, you won't get anything from me," he said, his eyes intent.

She looked away, her cheeks burning. It was going be a long two days. They turned on Lakeshore Boulevard to Gardiner Expressway and left Toronto behind them.

"I brought this," he said, handing her a memory card. "Aren't you glad that my guy installed a state of the arts stereo on this piece of junk?"

She fumbled in the dark and finally managed to insert the card. She pressed randomly. "Let me do this," he said briskly. A long guitar solo blasted in the car. The lead singer voice was hoarse and curiously high pitched. It was some blues-inspired heavy metal that sounded awfully outdated to her twenty something ears. "What's that?" she giggled. "Led Zeppelin?"

"Rush. Told you I was a big Rush fan, didn't I?"

"I thought you were kidding. Never heard of that band before in my life."

"That's their debut album, 1974."

"1974? Man, how old are you?"

"Are you trying to hurt my feelings?"

"I mean, … -it didn't come out right, I meant…"

"Would shut up now and listen to the band… friend?"

She crossed her arms on her chest and looked ahead. It was dark already. The traffic was light, which was very odd for a Friday night. Her mind started spinning again. Luke had not even bothered to ask her what she planned to do this week end, let alone with whom. Typical Luke. Why wasn't he with her right now on a trip to a surprise location? She chewed on her lower lip, glancing subrepticely to Sam's strong profile. He was tapping his fingers on the wheel along with the music. Was he singing along too? Wow, that was quite a different side of Sam. He started to nod to the beat. She could not take her eyes off of him. He turned to her abruptly.

"Pretty good, huh?" he beamed. She smiled back, tilting her head. "You okay? Come here," he said, putting his arm on the back of her seat. "You look tired." She laid her head on his shoulder. He did not seem to mind.

Before she knew it, "we're here…" he said. He gave her a gentle nudge. "McNally, we're here, wake up…" he said again softly. She squinted and turned her head in his direction, totally disoriented. No music, no lights. He was smiling at her, and she was nestled in the crook of his neck. Too close, she thought, she was engulfed in his body heat. He nuzzled her nose and his breath brushed her mouth. She shivered. "You cold? Come on, let's get you inside."

"We're here already?" she stretched her arms above her head, doing her best impersonation of casual. He moved him arm away from her and clenching the wheel, "Hey," he chuckled, "you've been sleeping the whole way."

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I like silence," he smirked.

"Silence? Is _that_ what you call silence?" she pointed an accusing finger to the stereo.

"It didn't stop you from sleeping. At least, I didn't have to listen to your snoring."

She punched him. "I don't snore!"

"Yes you do. Nobody told you? Come on, I'm getting cold too. Take your things and let's get inside."

"Wait, where's here?"

"Told you it was a surprise," he winked.

She smiled back and got out of the car. It was a quiet neighbourhood. She opened the trunk and realized that Sam had stuffed her trunk with a bundle of bags.

"Did you plan to go away for more than two days? And they say that girls can't pack light! What's all that?"

"That would be gifts, McNally."

"Gifts?"

"Yep. That's my nephew's birthday. He turned 15 last week."

"Wait, you didn't, Sam, you…"

"We're in Sainte Catharines, at my sister's Sarah. Come on in, she expected us earlier. Don't worry, I'll have your back."


	6. Chapter 6

ROOKIE BLUE (isn't mine)

**_A DAY AT THE BEACH_**

Set after "Serve or Protect".

PART 6

-o-

Unlike Sam, Sarah was petite and blonde with the most amazing hazel eyes Andy had ever seen. She hugged Sam and ruffled his hair. "It's been a while, Sammy," she said. Then she turned to her with a questioning look going back and forth from Sam to his unexpected guest. He cleared his throat. "Huh, this is McNally, my new rookie."

"I bet she is," Sarah quipped, "hello…"

"Andy."

"Andy…" She turned to her brother and her mouth twitched. "Sam never told me anything about you Andy, come on in."

So the direct approach was a Swarek trait, she thought. Her husband, the height and stature of a hockey player, crushed her hand. "Sam, please remind me why I didn't want to join the force?" he scoffed with an appreciating grin. She turned instantly red.

"Lonny, leave her alone, please." Sarah gave him a blank stare.

"Uncle Sammy," said a younger voice in the back, "now I can see why you never leave Toronto. Hi, I'm Jed."

Dinner was simple and she had a good time. Sarah did her best to keep the pressure off of her. When the boys decided it was time to give Sam a run for his money, and experiment with his present, Sarah took her for a quick tour of the house.

"You'll sleep in Lizzie's old room, that is if you don't mind, of course. She's studying in Vancouver at UBC. Music Performance, graduating year." She crossed her fingers.

Andy let out a silent sigh of relief.

"You didn't think that I would bunk you two together?" Sarah laughed. "The spare bedroom is far too impersonal for my own taste but Sam will be perfectly fine in there."

"Sam didn't tell you I was coming?"

"I think the question you meant to ask was 'how many of his lady friends did he bring over already'?" she said casually.

"It's not like that, we're friends," she protested feebly, her face burning.

"Anyone can see that. Well, Andy, you're the first 'friend' he brings along. Sam has always been very secretive about his life. He's the silent type, but you're his partner, you must know that," she chuckled. "Come on, let's go and see who's winning."

Sam had brought Jed the new Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock*. Sam was playing the drums, Jed the guitar while his father did his best at singing a Black Sabbath hit.

"Jed is a musician too?"

"He can play the guitar, and the drums, just like his uncle. But his big plan is to become the next Bill Gates. He's a total computer geek."

"Sam plays the drums?"

"Of course he does, always has. And he was pretty good too. He was really into music when he was a kid. He played violin, bass, saxophone... you name it, and he's still a very decent guitar player. But all he ever wanted to do was to protect people."

"So he became a cop."

"Yeah, and the job seems to agree with him quite nicely. I was a bit worried at first. See, he's my baby brother, huh? When he went undercover for almost a year, I was sick to my stomach the whole time. Nothing, not even a text message or an email. I was almost relieved when this chick burned him."

"I would be the one who burned him," Andy volunteered.

Sarah scrutinized her face. "I take it that he did hold a grudge against you then. You're lucky. Sam can drive someone up the wall for years when he puts his mind to it."

Andy giggled. "I guess I'm lucky then."

"Or maybe he is the lucky one…" Sarah said in a soft voice before turning around to her 'boys'. "Lonny, that's so terrible, can't you sing it properly? That's only four notes for Pete's sake!"

-o-

They went to bed early. Far too early. She turned and tossed in her narrow bed again and again.

The house was so quiet. She needed the city rumours to lull her to sleep. She checked her phone. 2:13. She winced and threw the cover at the back of the bed. She went down the stairs in the dim light provided by the street lamps. She finally reached the kitchen after two wrong turns and closed the door behind her with excessive care. She gasped for air realizing that she had barely breathed since she had left Lizzie's room. She went straight to the fridge and bent over to inspect the content.

"It's not like I don't appreciate the view, but you should know that I'm over here."

She jerked up and swirled on her feet, tucking on her tank top. It barely reached the rim of her satin knickers. She could not keep her eyes away from his bare chest. _I must look like a teenaged girl caught smoking in the dorm_, she thought, her mind racing.

"Those are the slippers you decided to bring for a surprise trip with me?" he said, pointing a finger to her pink plush bunny slippers.

"Yes, because I was supposed to be in a hotel room," she snapped. "Alone. Remember?"

"Right, right. My bad. I like them though. I guess that I didn't picture you as the girlie type." He swallowed his breath and shook his head slightly. "McNally, just a thought. Could you close the fridge? I'm pretty sure that I can control myself, but you're all frills and curbs against the light. To be perfectly honest, I'm having a Nine ½ Weeks moment here," he explained with a large smile.

She let a soft whimper escape her mouth. She strode to the table and sat down with her hands on her lap. "What… What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep. I'm not much of a country boy. I need some tremor around me. And it's been a pretty uneventful day."

"Yeah, me too. Right? This is just so quiet. It's driving me crazy!"

"I know. I usually go to the Casino in Niagara Falls when I come to visit Sarah. So that's really the first time it's been a problem for me. But this helps," he raised his glass. "Care to join me?"

"Oh yes, please!"

He stood up, went to the shelf to retrieve a glass and poured the scotch. He was barefoot. And he was wearing a pair of loose jeans. She had to snap out of it, or… "So, Sarah grilled you?"

"What do you mean? She's been nothing but nice to me. She reminds me of you, -a little." She put her thumb and forefinger one inch apart and smiled.

"You mean the good looks?"

She giggled and took a sip of her drink. "Sure. And the way she goes straight to the point. You remember when you told me that Luke picked a rookie every year and that I should be careful?"

"You're my partner. I had to share this information before it got out of hand."

"That didn't help, I guess." He watched her closely but stayed silent. "I don't think you're right Sam. I think he's been repeatedly dumped each and every time. I mean, he lives for the job and simply picks within the handiest gene pool."

"How convenient. Why do you think I care?"

She shrugged and her finger traced circles on her glass. She finally looked up and locked her eyes on his. "I know that you care about me. Therefore Luke is your problem too."

"I'm not quite sure that I agree with that syllogism, but keep going."

"What I'm really saying Sam, is why am I not with Luke this week end?"

"You tell me," he smirked. "I can't really answer that question Andy. I think that you know."

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" She shook her head quietly. "Why did you want me to meet your family? Is this some kind of test?"

"Andy, don't start overthinking this little trip. It's your big flaw, huh? She's my sister, it's only normal that she meets my friends!"

"Okay. Let's try it this way. Does she know Jerry? Huh? Your best friend Jerry? Because you told your sister that I burned you when it was Jerry's fault, really. Humping you like that at the station? I wonder how he made detective!"

"His ex-wife helped him a lot. She was very bossy," he smirked.

"You know what Sam Swarek, that's classic deflection! I asked you a question…"

"No, Sarah never met Jerry, or Ollie or any of my previous partners. She's never seen one of my…" he stopped and exhaled deeply.

"I'm listening. I'm not going anywhere."

"I never brought a woman up here, okay, you happy?" he snapped. " And I have no idea why you're not spending this week end with Callaghan."

"Huh?"

"I know who you are, McNally. You're not only smart, you've got balls."

"Well, I suppose I owe you a thank you."

"Don't, don't you do this. I'm a guy. I have eyes. If he's willing to leave you alone nine times out of ten, Callaghan is an idiot. And for what it's worth, I broke up with Monica a long time ago. I didn't even know we were still an item when we saw her at the station the day of the blackout. It was before I went undercover. Water under the bridge."

"Sam for what it's worth, Luke called me the night of the blackout, when I was…"

"… in my bed? Oh, I see. So that's what stopped you?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. Yes, maybe. And then the lights went back on."

"The lights. Are you afraid of me Andy?"

"No, of course not, I'm not!"

He stood up and waved his hand at her. "Come here…"

She had a brief hesitation before jumping to her feet. He took her hand. "You trust me right? I will never harm you Andy, you know that, right?"

She let him pull her onto his chest and raised her head. "I know."

He smiled and kissed her softly before hugging her fiercely. "McNally…" She snuggled in his arms.

"Hey guys, you up?" Lonny said in their back and he flipped the lights on.

She wiggled immediately out of Sam's embrace and crossed her arms in a defensive gesture. Squinting at him, "I… I was just leaving," she blurted out. She walked to the door briskly. Sam's head dropped to his chest. At the last second, she turned around, swept her glass from the table, and ran out.

Lonny turned to the door and back to Sam. He was massaging his eyes. His face was tense.

"Oh, oh, bad timing?"

Sam looked up. "You think?"

"Sorry, man… I didn't mean to interrupt anyth…"

Sam waved at him dismissively, took the bottle from the cabinet and left.

-o-

* I'm aware it won't be sold until September 28, but this is fiction, right? ;)


	7. Chapter 7

ROOKIE BLUE (isn't mine)

**_A DAY AT THE BEACH_**

_Set after _"Serve or Protect". _Hi guys you gave me so much love and support that I'm in awe. I do love writing this story and I'm glad that you enjoy the ride as much as I do. Thanks guys, you're the best! And speaking of a ride…_

-o-

PART 7

Sarah was facing the window and cutting and chopping celery and baby carrots with energy. She heard her brother tumbling on the first floor and staggering a bit when he went down the stairs. She chuckled to herself. Even if Sam did not visit on a regular basis, she could still decipher all the signs and read him pretty well. Sam was in trouble. Last night, when he introduced her to Andy McNally, she realized that he did not even suspect that it was probably going to be a very very long ride on the road to heaven. The girl was not only smart and funny, she was a guy's magnet, this kind of wild true Irish beauty with absolutely no recognition of her infinite power over the male population.

Watching the two of them interact with such a level of awkwardness had brought back some memories. Sarah had been replaying a hundred times one particular phone call in her head. It was last summer. She had been so worried about his going undercover that no word could even begin to describe the agony she had been through all this time he was incommunicado.

Playing a drug addict might have been tough for him. But he was very good at his job so this undercover thing, that was certainly something logical to get into. He was not afraid of getting his hands dirty, and being alone in the field might have been a dream job. She quite did not comprehend his motives though. He could have made detective any time he wanted but repeatedly rejected every opportunity to cross that bridge. His phone call, it had been a true blessing. Hearing his voice, imagining him back in a safe, -safer she pondered, environment… she could actually begin to breathe again. There was only the two of them now and she had missed him very much during those eight months.

When he had called her that night, he was a bit tipsy and not really making much sense. He did not seem devastated or bitter. He was angry, really angry. It simply did not add up. Being burned when he was only days away from completing his mission, that was a rough landing, even for him. He was that kind of guy who always kept his eyes on the prize, no matter what was at stakes. But knowing he was safe, at last, that was the best thing that had ever happened to her, apart from meeting Lonny and raising their two magnificent children.

_"Hello sis, I'm back."_

_"Sam, is that you? Oh my god, are you okay?" She waved frantically at Lonny who was watching the game on tv. "It's Sam!" Lonny jumped from the couch and hugged her. _

_"I'm fine Sarah, no worries. Could have been better, but what's done is done. Nothing I can do about it," he smirked._

_"What do you mean? You sure you're not hurt?"_

_"I'm fine really…"_

_"I'm not going anywhere, shoot."_

_"I was… I was inches away from putting that son of a bitch behind bars, you know. Eight months of my life living in a dump, feeling like I was the scum of the earth," he gasped for air. "Met some nice guys though. Yep, nothing I could do to save them, but hey, __I'm not a priest."_

_"You failed?__ But why? What is it that you're not telling me?"_

_"I can't believe that someone from the 15 burned me. That's ridiculous. Shaw is an idiot. Who gives some rookies so much leeway on their first day? That's beyond me."_

_"Rookies? They were undercover with you?"_

_He sighed. "Someone was killed today. A dealer, the worst cliché of a drug dealer you can imagine, and half the division was there in my backyard really, searching for the killer. I just don't understand what got into Shaw. I don't get it. He was being sloppy. I don't know. Anyway…" He took a deep breath. "He told his rookies to clear the perimeter. On their first day! I got busted."_

_"Oh," she tried not to sound amused, but it was hard. A twenty or so uni getting to Sam Swarek, it must have been quite a blow to his ego. "He blew your cover?"_

_"No, actually she didn't. She was magnificent. She did everything by the book. I've been away for so long she didn't have a clue that I was a cop__ from her own division. Damn it."_

_She heard the ice__ cubes dangling in his glass. He took a swig._

_"I see," she trailed. "Why c__an't you go back under?"_

_"__Oh yeah, why? That's the icing on the cake, sis. When we got back to the barn, Jerry, you remember Jerry right? He was in a bad divorce and he's under a lot of pressure from that golden boy they snatched from 9 Division, Callaghan? Well. I was in cuffs and Shaw was about to process me. And that ass totally humped me, right in front of my informant. I can't believe he did that."_

_"So that wasn't really th__at rookie who burned you?"_

_"I guess not. But let me tell you that her probation isn't going to be a walk in the park! I asked Boyko to pair me up with her, starting tomorrow."_

_"Why would you do that? Can't you take a few days off? You deserve it Sam."_

_"Well, you know, with the debrief, and the drug squad which will be on my back 24/7 for months, I don't know, I'd rather go back to the uniform. I have still some loose ends to look into before it goes cold. She's going to help me whether she likes it or not. I'm going to teach her to colour outside the lines."_

_"Sam, you can't do that! You'll be demoted or worse and she's…"_

_"Her father was a cop. I bet she knows I'm on to her. Christ, Sarah, I was so close. It's killing me."_

_"Did you have a chance to talk to her about it?"_

_But Sam was not listening._

_"She made the arrest you know, all by herself. Thirty full-fledged cops and she made the arrest, all by herself, on her first day. She's good."_

_"So I take it that the two of you are good then…"_

_"Sis, I'm an idiot. I was so pissed and I simply couldn't take it on Ollie or Jerry or Boyko."_

_"I don't understand."_

_"Never mind. It was good talking to you. Gotta go."_

She had tried to lull the conversation back to this point later when he was at her place on Thanksgiving. But he was very good at deflecting her questions.

Sam entered the kitchen shading his eyes from the bright light coming from the window. She turned to him and chuckled. "Had a good sleep Sam?"

He muttered incoherent words and slouched down on a chair. She poured him a large cup of black coffee. "Lonny told me about last night. For what it's worth, he's sorry…"

"It's okay. Andy is not my girlfriend."

"Right. Could have fooled me." Her mouth twitched and she turned around, going back to her domestic chores.

"Give me a break, sis, it's complicated."

"Isn't it always?"

"This headache is killing me, please?"

"Maybe you should stop feeling sorry for yourself and do it right."

"We're not having this conversation."

"She obviously cares about you and you care about her. Sam, I'm your sister, I know."

"Will you stop?" he begged.

"Maybe you should drink less and act more," she stared at him with concern. "I'm worried about you Sam."

He shook his head and waved at her. "Where is everybody?"

"They went to the lake. Jed and Lonny were eager to show her their new toys."

"New toys?"

"Jed is into freestyle these days. You know Lonny, he's trying to keep up. But let me tell you Sam, this girl, she's a real champion." She wiped her hands on a towel and flipped her cell phone open. "Jed just sent me a video. Look, she's fantastic."

Sam took the phone reluctantly. The video was jumpy and blurry, but he could spot a rider spinning with his bike 180° in the air and landing backwards. He shot his sister a puzzled glance. "Is that Jed? He's good!"

"I bet Jed is your rookie number one fan right now. She's going to teach him a bunch of tricks. He's totally in love with her."

"That's McNally?"

"Yep. I bet you don't know her at all, little brother."


	8. Chapter 8

ROOKIE BLUE

**_A DAY AT THE BEACH_**

_I do apologize for taking so long to update this story. Please forgive me __;) ... and yes, I watched _Stick it

-o-

PART 8

Sam had managed to keep himself busy and away from Sarah for the last two hours. Freezing in the driveway was a small price to pay, given her current state of mind. She had been sold to a McSwarek scenario the minute she had laid eyes on Andy. Now, her mind was set irrevocably on having a bunch of nephews to cherish in the near future. Naturally, some minor repairs to attend to on Andy's car became his next mission. He needed the time alone to think, and clear his head. His master plan had never been to steal Callaghan's girl. Andy had been through enough with her disturbed childhood and what he imagined like a cohort of bad boys as boyfriends without ruining the safe place she had created for herself with the handsome detective. He knew better. It was hard to fight the attraction, especially in a non-professional environment, what had happened the night before was proof enough that he was not doing a very good job at it. Around three, to Sam's dismay, Lonny made it back home alone, panting on his bike and covered in dried sand. He watched him take the driveway and stop ten feet away from him. He discarded the bike on the lawn, took off his helmet and waved at Sam. If he was lucky, his brother in law would gather his wits and sweep last night under the rug.

"I wouldn't mind taking her out for a spin some day." Lonny leaned onto the shiny fender, his face exuding pure lust. "She's a beauty," he marveled, stroking the car with glee.

Fantastic, we're all back to junior high, Sam thought. It was definitely an interesting weekend. He never pictured Lonny as a vintage car enthusiast. Sam nodded absently and wiped the grease off his hands. He slammed the hood close, winced at the sound. He shut his eyes. His headache was killing him. So much for holding his liquor. He shrugged. "Hell, I can't see why not. Niagara Falls and back?"

"Really? Isn't it Andy's car?"

"Well, she's not here, right? I won't tell if you don't."

"You sure?"

"Positive! Andy won't mind anyway. But I need it back before 6," he added, pinching the bridge of his nose. He had still to come up with a plan which did not involve him losing it again. Just when he had thought that Sarah's was his safest place to be. He was not out of the woods yet.

Lonny beamed. "Great." He turned around, began to trot to the house, then stopped and walked back. "Man," he shook his head. "I'm sorry about last night," he said, finally taking the hint.

_Here we go_. Sam cocked his head and his mouth slightly twitched. He folded his arms on his chest and squinted.

"Err, I mean I didn't want to…" he stuttered, "I had no idea… well, I'm sorry."

Sam grinned and patted him on the shoulder. "It's good Lon really. Like I said, there's nothing between McNally and me, she's my rookie. Something I tend to forget after a few drinks," he grinned.

"Yeah, I hear you, man. She's a bombshell."

Sam frowned. "For what it's worth, your midnight snack was a wake up call. So I guess I owe you a thank you, really, man, no sweat." He smiled but the smile did not reach his eyes.

Lonny smiled back, choosing to ignore the subtext. He changed the subject instead. "Too bad you weren't with us today at the beach. What that woman can do with a bike! That's out of this world! I can assure you that your rookie is quite the attraction today. I tell you, she can quit the force and open her own school. There'll be a line at the door. Jed is on cloud nine right now. Just about every guy out there wants to learn more about his friend, the pretty brunette with the magical bike. She's a real champ."

"Yeah, Sarah told me that much…" Sam trailed with a snigger.

"You'll have to drag the two of them back to the house yourself if you want to ever see her again," he teased him.

"Okay, I get it. You think I should go see her?"

"Well, I'm not saying."

"Lend me your family wagon and you can take the Camaro for a ride."

"Done!" Lonny jogged away and disappeared inside the house.

Lonny was right. That was rich. He was out of Toronto with McNally and she was spending quality time on some remote beach with his nephew. He sighed heavily. That, that was mere jealousy seeping out of every pore. When Andy was around, all bets were off. He just could not be himself anymore. And she was not even _his_ girl. He sighed and followed Lonny to the house.

-o-

He followed Lonny's directions, and pulled in at the spot where Andy and Jed were supposedly having such a great time. He stayed there a while, hands clenched on the wheel, his eyebrows furrowed. Sarah was right. They had this instinctual, animal level of connection. But in his case, that was much more. But she was taken. Check.

The sun was slowly setting down. He sighed loudly, frowned, wishing he had followed his doctor's order. He did need glasses, but he was not quite ready yet to accept that fact. The beach was far more crowded than he had anticipated in spite of the chilly weather. Near the shore line was sitting a substantial crowd. He slammed the car door closed and strode to the impromptu gathering. Lonny had been right. She was magnificent. He watched her from afar, wincing each time the crowd erupted in roars of appreciation or burst into applause, cheering madly while she was stringing together more bold figures on what seemed the spur of the moment. She might have spent a lifetime on a bike to be able to put together such a show. There were definitely a lot of things he did not know about Andy McNally.

Finally, the cold wind got the better of him. His hangover did the rest. He walked briskly to the shore, with the nagging feeling he should not interfere. When he passed the motley crew of her supporters and made it to the front row, Jed immediately spotted him. He beamed and waved at him from across the wide circle. Andy seemed to build her tricks as she went, performing one jump after the other with easy grace. Her style was reckless but smooth at the same time. He knew about freestyle biking from TV obviously, but he had absolutely no idea that McNally was so good at it. Her creativity was surreal. The crowd cheered louder when she threw a combination of the craziest tricks he had ever seen, bouncing above steep sand mounds with a wide grin on her face. He shivered. A familiar tingling ran down his spine when she finally landed in front of him. The bike skidded, splattering sand everywhere, and stopped a mere foot away from him.

"Sam! You came," she grinned. "Have you been here long?"

"Long enough McNally, are you trying to kill yourself? Because from what I just witnessed, you could have fooled me!"

"Are you mad at me?" she pouted her mouth, her eyebrow rising to the root of her hair. She seemed genuinely puzzled.

"I don't know yet," he smiled, trying desperately to suppress any hint of concern from his voice, "I figured that you two could use a lift back to Sarah's. So here I am. And from what I can see, you need serious cleaning if you want me to take you out tonight."

"Oh, we're going out?"

"Of course we are!" he teased her.

"I missed you too," she grinned and waved at Jed enthusiastically.


	9. Chapter 9

ROOKIE BLUE (isn't mine)

_A DAY AT THE BEACH_

_I do apologize for taking so long to update this story. Please forgive me _

-o-

PART 9

She seemed to like it at her sister's. And she might have been pretty comfortable with Sarah's guys to go biking with them. He already knew that she could pull off some stunts at work, that given the opportunity, she didn't mind cutting corners, but he had no idea that she was into extreme sports. _I'd like to see more of those freestyle moves_, he thought, his mind filled with unwanted graphic images. He rubbed his nose with the dirt cloth he had been using for the car and smudged his face.

He went back to the house to take a shower. These last few hours, he had made up his mind not to try anything. Even if he'd somehow coerced her into spending the week end with him, that didn't mean that she was willing to leave Callaghan. He'd been helping her with her love life from day one, he was not willing to jeopardise their friendship. He sighed. He should never have taken her to Sarah's. It was selfish and inappropriate.

"Look at you all dressed up!" Sarah teased him. She wiped her hands on her jeans and leaned against the counter. "I bet Andy…"

"Don't start Sarah," he gave her a stern stare.

"Well, you look great little brother, I mean it. Too bad you can't take a compliment from your own sister."

He shrugged and looked at the door as if it could make Andy McNally appear on the doorstep. He checked his watch. "It's been a half hour. That's ridiculous, we're running late."

"Sammy, you're a cop but you must know that a girl needs some time to get ready. Don't you want her to doll up a little for your big date?"

"Sarah, this is not a date. She's not my girlfriend. She's my rookie for God's sake!"

"Right," she grinned. "Yeah, tell yourself that," she chuckled.

"Okay, I'm going upstairs and get her," he said, dashing from the kitchen.

"You do that," Sarah mused.

Sam was upstairs in a few strides. He stopped before Andy's door. "You ready?" he said in a loud voice. "I'm coming in!"

"I'm ready," she said while he was bursting in.

She turned around. He stopped dead in his track unable to hide his surprise. Not that he had not noticed that fact before since that was precisely at the root of his problem. And the fact that he loved her silly jokes and cute awkwardness, and that she was so stubborn and bold all the time. But tonight, McNally was simply drop dead gorgeous. He simply couldn't get his eyes off of her. His mind went blank. Unable to crack any idiotic joke to alleviate the situation, he just stood there, his mouth agape, mentally undressing her. Well, actually, there was not much left to take off. Her black dress was simply the tiniest dress he'd ever seen. He'd seen her in a skirt before for the John sweep but nothing had prepared him for that. He was used to Andy in her jeans and t-shirts and never expected her to turn into some poster girl for Cosmopolitan. _Sam, snap out of it_. She frowned and bit her lip, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other on her four inch sandals.

"Sam, what's wrong?" She swirled back to face the mirror, her eyes widening under stress.

"Nothing. It's fine. I mean you look fine."

"Really? Is it too much?"

"No, it's too little," he blurted before he had time to think. "You look great, really." So that was it. That was how close he'll ever be to her. The best friend, the confidante. He was not sure that he could put up with this any more. What was he thinking? Two days with her, out of Toronto, at her sister's and now that?

She chuckled. "Okay, you got me worried for one second."

"So, it's what you look like when you're not in your uniform?" he tried.

"Sam, are you serious? You've seen me plenty of times in my civvies."

_That's the __without I can't get rid of_, he thought. "Is it what's it's called now," he muttered. "Come on Andy, we're going to be late."

"Oh okay, sorry, I didn't realize. Wow, you look great!" she said, realisation sinking in that he had also dressed up for the occasion.

"What? Did you think that Callaghan was the only one who can pull off a suit?" _Good move Sam_. He watched her face go white under her light make up and wished he had kept his temper under control.

She walked past him, avoiding any physical contact and trotted down the stairs without a word. Exclamations from Lonny and Jed welcomed her apparition in the kitchen. He heard his sister's excited voice and finally followed her downstairs. He was such an ass. He watched her from the doorway. Andy was doing her best to appear happy and confident but as soon as he saw her twirling for their benefit and looking miserable, he knew he'd made his biggest mistake yet. _Let's get this over with_, he said to himself. _First thing tomorrow, I'll take her back to Toronto and hope that she'll ever forgive me._ She spotted him. She faced him. "Time to go?"

He nodded briefly. "See you later guys," he said.

She put on her coat and opened the front door without checking if he was following her. She walked down the stairs and waited for him near the car. They didn't exchange a word until Niagara Falls. He glanced at her a few times but she kept gazing out the window, her fists clenched on her lap. He finally pulled over and stopped the car.

"McNally, I'm sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

"I think that you do. Please, don't say anything, I can't listen to you right now."

"Are you hungry?"

"No, not now. Could you just stay quiet and leave me be?" She took a deep breath and turned on her seat to face him. "I have no idea of what I'm doing, Sam. I don't know why I'm here, with you. I couldn't even tell Luke. What does it say about me?"

"I can't answer that Andy."

"I know. And I don't blame you for what you said. You're right. I have to make a decision."

"A decision?"

"I have to tell Luke it's not working. And I want to know why you took me to your sister's."

"Told you. I got your car fixed and…"

"Stop it, would you. This is getting ridiculous beyond belief. Traci's right."

"Is she?"

"Yep, definitely."

"And?"

"And you know that I know why we're here. And I know that you know why I accepted."

"Andy…"

She silenced him with an angry glare. "But we're so stubborn that no of us can make the first move. I hate this. This is so lame. For Christ's sake, Sam, we're not fifteen, this is not junior high. I know you won't make a move because you think I'm in love Luke." She stared at him.

At least, they were on the same page on one thing. She was not buying the boyfriend excuse any more that he was.

"MacNally, I'm getting cold. Let's get something to eat, we got to talk."


End file.
